


Zombie Survivor Interview

by elven_king



Category: World War Z - Max Brooks
Genre: Major character death - Freeform, Sad, World War Z - Freeform, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-20
Updated: 2014-03-20
Packaged: 2018-01-16 09:18:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1341781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elven_king/pseuds/elven_king
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'There was a man outside his window. But the man… he had this massive chunk out of his shoulder like he had been shot or bitten by a wild animal, but it was as if the missing part of his shoulder didn't bother him, all he did was stare at Levi.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zombie Survivor Interview

**LONDON, ENGLAND – Wednesday 23 rd, October 2020**

**I can’t distribute this man’s name as he does not wish to be known to the public. He is English, skinny and has auburn hair, with large eyes and a permanently expressionless face since the war. He lost his son, who was six at the time, and his faithful dog of the same age, two years ago.**

 

**Start whenever you want, this must be hard to recall. But, first start off with a little before when the war started. Something about your boy, if you can.**

He was six at the time, so I guess he didn’t really expect anything bad to actually happen. You never do, at that age. He started crying only because of fear, fear of the man at his window. Fear of his daddy being scared. If I was scared, why should he calm down? It all happened so fast, I’ll try to recount all of it but I can’t give any guarantees.

**When did it start?**

I can’t remember the date. It was a Wednesday, Hamish had gone to Prep that day. He went to Prep Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It was around two years ago because uh… it was Hamish’s birthday two days ago and he would have been eight. God, he was so adorable when he got off the bus and toddled up to the front door. He’d drawn a picture of himself and I holding hands with our dog Levi, he was so proud of it so I stuck it on the fridge and ruffled his hair. Jesus, then I heard a knocking at my door and a loud voice, but I was arguing with Hamish because he wouldn’t eat his vegetables so I told them to come back later. I’d had a hard day at the clinic and I didn’t mean to sound angry to anyone.

**Was that an evacuation officer?**

Yes, he was in a blue suit and heavy armour underneath his uniform, he looked like something out of a movie. I know that he was the Evacuation officer because he was the first of… the first of ‘them’ I saw. Jesus, if I had of let him in, he would have lived. I think I remember yelling something like, “Come back later damn it!” I thought it was another annoying salesman.

**Right, so what happened next?**

After that I brought Levi in as Hamish was climbing into bed, he was scared of monsters in his closet so I told him that I’d tell Levi to stay in his room for just tonight. “Stay here, Levi” Hamish was watching me with those big brown eyes full of worry, “You stay here boy. Look after Hamish, okay?”

And he did. Jeez, he was such a great dog. They went straight to sleep after I left the room. I would usually stay up until ten or so and watch the news but that night I was much too tired to sit through the news or get any work done. Levi wasn’t barking or making any noise, so I didn’t worry about Hamish.

**Was that when the bomb was dropped?**

No, no. That was later. Much later, in fact. About 4 hours after he had gone to bed was the first sign of chaos, it was midnight or something close to it. I heard Hamish start to scream and cry then Levi was barking like mad. So, obviously I ran in there. Jesus. _[He covers his face with his hands.]_

**Take your time.**

No, it’s okay. I’m fine.

Anyway, he was crying and yelling out. “Daddy, there’s a man at the window! Daddy!” I was terrified because that wasn’t what he usually yelled out to me. His usual speech was, “Daddy, there’s a monster in the closet!” When I went in he had the blinds closed and Levi had gotten onto his bed, he was standing over him. All protective of course, he’d never hurt Hamish. They grew up together. I pulled open the blinds and Levi went mad, it scared me just from the barking, Levi could be a scary Border Collie when he wanted to be. Hamish wasn’t lying, he wasn’t just seeing things or imagining it. There was a man outside his window. But the man… he had this massive chunk out of his shoulder like he had been shot or bitten by a wild animal, but it was as if the missing part of his shoulder didn’t bother him, all he did was stare at Levi.

**Was that one of the infected?**

Yes, the first one we saw. The evacuation officer. He wasn’t big or anything, he was just swollen in the face and didn’t notice any of his wounds. He was bright red in places, just in patches across his skin like a rash or something. I gasped then whistled, Levi jumped off Hamish and I scooped him up into my arms. The boy was in hysterics by this time, I was only keeping it together for his sake. If he saw his daddy crying or running like a maniac he’d lose it completely, I simply backed out of the room with Levi backing up in front of me. We decided to get into the car, Hamish would always calm down in the car, when we were driving with the static on the radio. It was calming to him, for some reason. Hamish begged me not to go outside but I had to. The man didn’t try to attack us or anything. I realised afterwards that it was because Levi wasn’t growling at him anymore, and I was moving rather slowly so I assume he thought I was one of them.

**So you got into the car and drove, what next?**

We drove to the nearest shop, about 7 kilometres. Not one person attacked us but anyone who was out on the streets seemed to just stop and stare at us. It was chilling. Thank god Hamish couldn’t see out the window, he was strapped in to his seat and he was simply sobbing quietly then. I was shushing him, he calmed right down when I sang to him.

**What time was it then?**

Oh, it must have been about half an hour after he woke me up, so about 12:30am or 1am, something like that. I was so stupid, I got out of the car at the store and went into ask him what was happening to the people in the town. I had no idea the bomb would drop… the shop keeper took me into the back room, then down some stairs to where he had a few guns. He had seen Hamish and gave me a shotgun. He was helping me…

**Then the bomb dropped.**

Yes. I heard a… a kind of shouting from a megaphone and Levi was barking again, Hamish wasn’t squealing so I assumed I was just a rabbit or another dog. Jesus, then the booming noise. It was like thunder except it lasted so much longer. And it was right in my ear. Fuck. _[He covers his face again, then begins to shake. He calmed himself after a few minutes and looks up with red, puffy eyes.]_ The soldiers that found me beside the pile of metal told me Hamish wouldn’t have felt anything. That’s bullshit. Complete bullshit, lies to get me to shut up and follow them. I found him… his body… under the pile of metal that was my car not five minutes ago. He was burnt… but I closed his eyes and…

**You have all the time in the world, it’s okay. Take all the time you want.**

Okay… _[He begins to sob into his hands, he mutters apologies to his late son, then after 5 minutes or so he collects himself, and then looks directly at me with dull eyes.]_ Do you have children?

**No. I was going to. But my girlfriend, she didn’t survive. I understand your situation, Mister *********.**

I’m sorry for both of our losses.

Hamish… I believe he felt it. That’s the hardest thing about losing him. The fact that if I had kept driving to the nearest town maybe or simply drove in the opposite direction… he’d be alive. Levi was gone too… I’d lost both of them. When the shop keeper let me out, I ran to the car and collapsed near the Hamish and Levi. Levi had been laying on Hamish, I think he was trying to protect him…  _[He bites his lip and apologizes.]_ I’ve never told this story before, I’m sorry. The Soldier tore me away from my boy and dog, but they took the bodies with them when I said they were never infected. I still have their ashes… back at home.

**Thank you for sharing your story, Mister *********, you’re a strong man.**

_[He chuckles and shakes his head.]_ No I’m not. I cry myself to sleep every night. Sometimes I think of taking the shotgun that man gave me and… when I first tried, it didn’t hurt at all. But not with the gun, with a rope. I fell unconscious and the rope snapped. Life clings to me like a disease. One day it will let go and I’ll be with Hamish again. I’m also scared that if I take my own life, maybe I’ll go to a different place. I hope I get run over by a bus or get shot or mugged or stabbed. Sometimes I beg God to kill me but he never listens.

**After that, we shake hands and I offer to buy him dinner but he refuses. He tells me eating isn’t something he does much these days, and that’s evident from his incredibly skinny waist. Now, two years on from that interview, I found out that he had been killed, stabbed for the money in his wallet.**

**His ashes were spread across where his car was bombed, along with Hamish and Levi’s ashes. Mister ********* was a good man and he will be remembered as such.**


End file.
